Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search for New Paradigm, Geneva, June 2013

Concept of the Conference

­The Issue

The world faces an unprecedented dilemma. Expanding opportunities are emerging side by side with intensifying problems. The proliferation of money, technology, education and global interdependence which have been the main drivers of global development is accompanied by rising levels of financial instability, pollution, unemployment, inequality, arms proliferation and social unrest. Persistent poverty co-exists side by side with unprecedented prosperity. Rising levels of inequality and unemployment are spreading discontent and social unrest at a time when social welfare nets are overstrained by an aging population. Economic growth is depleting the world’s natural resource base at an alarming rate while threatening long term catastrophic changes in climate. The competition for scarce resources is aggravating nationalist competition at a time when international cooperation is essential for coping with common global challenges. Globalization is breaking down the barriers insulating national economies, making states increasingly vulnerable to destabilizing impacts from beyond national borders. Proliferation of nuclear and other weapons poses new threats to national and regional security. Humanity seems driven by mutually exclusive, contradictory goals leading to apparently insoluble problems.

These multiple challenges share common attributes:

They all transcend narrow disciplinary boundaries

They are interrelated and interdependent and defy solution by partial, sectoral approaches.

They are all global in nature and cannot be fully addressed without coordinated actions by the international community.

Approaches to resolving these challenges are subject to conflicting claims, priorities and interests.

The lack of significant progress on addressing these issues in recent years has raised doubts about the collective capacity of the human community to effectively address them.

Quest for a New Paradigm

Each of these global issues is a subject of on-going analysis by leading organizations around the world. Many strategies have been formulated and projected for dealing with one or two of them in isolation, often at the expense of the others. Solutions to ecological problems usually involve economic tradeoffs that neglect the rising aspirations and expectations of developing societies and are also unacceptable to most prosperous nations. Efforts to balance budget deficits and control inflation appear to be in conflict with efforts to stimulate growth and generate sufficient employment opportunities for all job seekers. Investments in security typically neglect the destabilizing impact of rising levels of unemployment on social stability. Managing ever growing global financial resources is undermined by the reluctance of national governments to cede authority to international institutions.

There is presently no consensus as to whether real, effective solutions are possible to address the full spectrum of global challenges and what those solutions should be.

Is there any way in which the apparently mutually contradictory goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice can all be realized?

Today, the global community is broadly conversant with the seriousness of the problems, but it is far from convinced that viable solutions exist for addressing them. The visible absence of political will reflects and results from an absence of mental conviction and social endorsement. Generating mental conviction and social endorsement are the first essential steps toward effective action. The premise for this initiative is that there are in fact viable solutions to fully address all of these apparently conflicting challenges, but that they can only be found by looking beyond the prevailing framework of values, ideas, strategies, policies, and institutions on which current solutions are based. An essential condition for addressing these challenges is to present a comprehensive conceptual framework that sets forth the enabling conditions, governing values and principles, strategies and necessary steps.

There is need for a new paradigm with the following characteristics:

It fully comprehends the interrelationships and interdependence of all dimensions of global society and social development.

Its goal is to optimize human welfare and well-being for all human beings.

It recognizes that universal human values are not merely inspiring ideals. These values are the only viable basis on which sustainable progress for humanity is achievable.

It gives central importance to the full development and utilization of Human Capital as the driving force and Social Capital as the most essential enabling technology for rapid social evolution.

The World Academy of Art & Science recently launched an initiative bringing together like-minded organizations and individuals to identify the core elements of an integrated perspective, a comprehensive strategy and detailed policy framework capable of addressing these multiple challenges founded on a more fundamental paradigm change.

The Geneva conference was the second step in a series and was followed by discussions in Alexandria, Egypt, North America and other locations.

One outcome of the conference was a definitive report examining the interrelationships between peace, security, economy, employment, global governance, rule of law, ecology, social process, technology, organization, education, research, culture and individuality and setting forth the elements of a comprehensive, integrated approach to effectively address the multiple challenges posed by their complex interactions.

Geneva Conference

A conference at the Palais des Nations, Geneva will be conducted on June 3, 2013 with participation from major international organizations and NGOs.

The objective of the conference was to identify elements of a comprehensive approach for dealing with the major challenges facing humanity today.

The conference addressed the following fundamental questions in an interrelated manner:

Economy & Employment: How can global food security, full employment and abolition of poverty be achieved within a decade?

Energy & Ecology: How can global living standards be raised to middle class levels without depleting or destroying the environment or depriving future generations of the capacity to sustain these achievements?

Human Capital – Education, Health & Welfare: How can global levels of education and public health be raised to OECD level?

Money & Finance: How can the necessary financial resources be generated and mobilized to achieve the goals described in the first three questions?

Security: How can we permanently eliminate war and WMD that threaten to destroy all other development achievements?

Global Governance: How can we design and implement systems of global governance capable of implementing necessary measures to achieve the other five goals for the welfare and well-being of all?

The scope of discussion encompassed

Common root causes of the multiple global crises

Ideas, principles and values on which comprehensive solutions need to be based

Strategies, policies, proposals, legal and institutional mechanisms

Actionable steps

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search for New Paradigm

A comprehensive framework for global

Economy - Ecology - Education - Health - Security - Governance

at Palais des Nations, UN Headquarters, Geneva, June 3, 2013

In collaboration with the ‘Fondation pour Genève’ and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to UNOG

9:00 am

Registration (In front of the Council Chamber)

9:30 am - 10:15 am

Opening Session: Global Challenges & Opportunities (Council Chamber)

Issue: Is there a way in which humanity can realize the apparently conflicting goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice?

Speakers:

Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva: welcome remarks and Keynote address.Theme: Adapting to the new global order: The role of the United Nations and partnerships

Dr. Ivo Šlaus President, World Academy of Art and ScienceTheme: Goals and issues that need to be addressed by a new paradigm for global development

H.E. Ambassador Alexandre Fasel, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at GenevaTheme: Strategic challenges and opportunities: institutional responses and options

Issues: How can global food security, full employment and abolition of poverty be achieved within a decade? How can the necessary financial resources be generated and mobilized to achieve the goals of global development?

Theme: Major challenges for achieving global prosperityH.E. Ambassador Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Permanent Representative of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at Geneva

Theme: Role of trade policy in addressing global challenges.Ambassador Luzius Wasescha, Chairman, Diplomatic Club of Geneva

Theme: Need for new economic theoryMr. Ian Johnson, Secretary-General, Club of RomeMr. Orio Giarini, Trustee and program Coordinator for New Economy, World Academy of Art and Science

Theme: Strategies to meet the global food challengeH.E. Ambassador Minelik Alemu Getahun, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at Geneva

Theme: Major challenges in achieving sustainable developmentH.E. Ambassador Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ecuador to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at GenevaH.E. Ambassador Juan José Gómez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at Geneva

Issue: How can humanity fully tap the potential of a human-capital and social-capital based strategy for global development ?

Moderator:Dr. Colum Murphy, President, Geneva School of DiplomacyRapporteur:Dr. Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, former Rector UNU, Secretary General, The International Association of University Presidents, Brazil

Theme: On line EducationMs. Janani Harish, Mothers Service Society, India

Theme: International cooperation in science as a model for other global activitiesDr. Herwig Schopper, former Director-General of CERN

3:40 pm - 4:30 pm

Discussion

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Session 3B: Governance & International Security (Room III)

Issues: How can we evolve a global cooperative security system that permanently eliminates war and the threats posed by WMD ? How can we design and implement system of global governance capable of implementing necessary measures to achieve the other five goals for the welfare and well-being of all ?

Theme: Evolution of global rule of lawDr. Winston Nagan, Professor, Director, Institute for Human Rights, Peace and Development, University of Florida at Gainesville

Theme: Disarmament and developmentH.E. Ambassador Abdul Samad Minty, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in SwitzerlandMr. Marc Finaud, Senior Advisor, Emerging Security Challenges Programme, Geneva Centre for Security Policy

Theme: Disarmament and the end of warH.E. Ambassador Sujata Mehta, Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament

Theme: The end of war?Mr. David Harland, Executive-Director, Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

Theme: The role of religion in our work for justice and peaceRev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches

Theme: Democracy and global securityDr. Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania

Theme: From competitive to cooperative securityMr. Alain Délétroz, Vice President, International Crisis GroupH.E. Ambassador Bertrand de Crombrugghe, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland

Reception for all participants, offered by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at Geneva (Delegates’ Restaurant, 8th Floor, Palais des Nations)

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search for New Paradigm, Geneva, June 2013

Opening keynote address by Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev United Nations Under-Secretary-General Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva

“Adapting to the new global order: the role of the United Nations and partnerships”

Mr. Ivo Šlaus, President of the World Academy of Art and Science Distinguished Panellists, Distinguished Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a privilege to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations. This time we have come together to discuss acute problems of today’s international situation.

Geneva represents an ideal platform for a deeper reflection on where we are headed as the international community and which kind of future we wish to build on. The international conference on Syria, which is taking shape now, is another demonstration of Geneva’s enduring value as a global hub. We appreciate the Host Country represented by Ambassador Alexander Fasel for its consistent support to the United Nations. We also welcome the presence here of State Councillor Pierre-François Unger. Let me also thank the Fondation pour Genève and its President Mr. Ivan Pictet participating in this event, highlighting again the valuable role that the Foundation and the Diplomatic Club, led by Ambassador Luzius Wasescha, play in building bridges across the different communities in Geneva.

I am grateful to see so many representatives of the entities that make “International Geneva” unique. This conference is intended to take time out of daily technical and policy discussions to pool our experience and know-how to come up with fresh and forward-looking ideas and solutions.

I am grateful to our partners in the World Academy of Art and Science – and in particular its President Ivo Šlaus and its Chairman Garry Jacobs – for organizing the event with us. The World Academy has a long and distinguished tradition for cutting-edge thinking that goes across boundaries, leading to creative approaches. I believe that your motto – “Leadership in thought that leads to action” – is very appropriate for our discussions today.

The world is undergoing profound changes, and we need both political will and immediate action to react to this transformation.

Political, economic and social balances are shifting. New dynamics have come into play, moving centres of gravity – from west to east, and from north to south. As just one example, it is projected that by 2020, the combined output of the three leading South economies – China, India and Brazil – may surpass the aggregate production of the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada.

While some of these developments begin to address long-standing global imbalances, they also bring new contradictions and inequalities. 1.1 billion people still live below the internally-accepted poverty line of 1.25 dollars a day. Over 785 million people have no access to clean drinking water and 2.3 billion lack sanitation. The world is more connected than ever before, but still close to 4.5 billion people – predominantly in the developing world – are not online, and 1.5 billion people do not even have electricity.

At the same time, we are experiencing increasing division and distrust among communities – both ethnic, religious and national. Despite our increasing interconnections, we in the human family also feel more distant from one another. We witness growth in extremist rhetoric and action based on religious and ethnic hatred.

Well-known mechanisms and tools no longer seem adequate to respond effectively to these negative trends. The international conferences are not delivering the results we need: despite years of negotiation, the Doha Round of trade negotiations remains blocked….we have no legally-binding agreement to curb carbon emissions post-Kyoto…and in this very Chamber, the Conference on Disarmament has not been able to agree even a Programme of Work for over 16 years.

Against this background, we need to embrace a different type of governance – a new paradigm for how we work together to build a better world. Let me highlight three key components of this governance, which I hope may become issues of our discussions today.

First, nurturing partnerships. The challenges we face are interconnected. No single country, no single institution can confront them in isolation. Individually, they have neither the capacity nor the expertise. Let me give you an example: Over 200 million people are without jobs – of these, some 75 million are young people. We cannot hope to create meaningful and sustainable employment without involvement of the private sector. And this is not simply an economic issue, it is a political one. Lack of employment has already led to the undermining of social stability in many regions and countries, to the mistrust of just and efficient governance.

Second, reaching across boundaries. We are all aware that the challenges before us touch upon many disciplines. Climate change, for example, has a core scientific component, in analyzing the phenomenon and its consequences, and in proposing solutions. But these solutions have to be agreed and implemented at a political level. Therefore, we still have a long way to go in including different types of knowledge at the policy level, in particular from the scientific, technological and academic communities. As policy-makers, we need to get better at reaching out for the knowledge that we need so that we base decisions on the latest evidence and thinking. I am therefore particularly pleased that we have with us today representatives of these communities. I hope this can become a model to follow, and I welcome therefore the presence today of the Director-General of CERN, Professor Heuer, who is also a strong advocate for such an engagement.

Third, embracing different models. No one size fits all. We need to embrace different types of governance models for different issues. The large-scale multilateral negotiations, driven by Governments, still have value. There will be contexts and issues where they are the only way of doing business. But they cannot stand alone. Action through regional organizations. Action through smaller groups of like-minded States. Action led by civil society, or at sub-national level. These are complementary, not competing, models.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We have posed as the overarching question for this session: Can humanity realize the apparently conflicting goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice? I believe that the answer is yes. But it will require a new way of doing business, probably with the three elements that I have just outlined at the core and with a strong United Nations bringing these elements together.

Some observers consider the new governance a threat to the United Nations. I see it as a unique opportunity for it to play a more important role in connecting the different layers and partners for a cohesive and coherent global approach.

I am grateful to the outstanding speakers and skilful moderators and rapporteurs who will take part in all our sessions today. It is their input that gives us today a good chance to have an in-depth look at the problems we have to confront. The final session will bring together the different threads of the debates. The aim is a truly inclusive exchange.

Thank you very much for your active involvement.

Goals and issues that need to be addressed by a new paradigm for global development

The contemporary world is plagued by numerous problems, threatened by e­conomic, ecological, social, political and moral crises. Each of these subjects has been subject to in-depth analysis and endless expert discussion. This is the time to focus on solutions, rather than on further analysis. The lack of significant progress on addressing these issues in recent years has seriously raised doubts about the collective capacity of the human community to effectively address them. Do solutions really exist for the complex multidimensional problems confronting humanity today? Is there any way in which apparently mutually contradictory goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice can all be realized? If so, what is lacking? Do we even know of approximate solutions? Do we at least know "solutions" that are not worse than the present problems? Our record is not very good. In the 20th century many attempts to remedy problems and reduce threats led the world into even greater calamities. We should be guided by the course proposed by Hippocrates: Try to help so as not to inflict damage on a patient. Not to act would be a mortal sin of omission that would lead to destruction, so act we must. This conference co-organized by the United Nations Office in Geneva and the World Academy is a call for solutions – a call for ideas, out-of-the-box ideas. It is a call for a paradigm change.

In the past we have made several important paradigm changes, at least in science. Although the physical world, the particles composing it and laws governing it, did not change for the last 14 billion years, our understanding of the physical world has been dramatically altered; first by the Copernican Revolution, then much more through Quantum Physics and the Theory of Relativity, when our concepts of time, space and certainty changed radically. In place of perfect certainty, we have realized that our physical world is based on the uncertainty principle, and that uncertainty still allows quantum electrodynamics to predict with accuracies of one in billions. Our social world is even more complex that the physical. Human beings and society change constantly and the laws governing them evolve over time. We change ourselves and we change the world we live in. It would be vain, even preposterous, to assume that the laws we formulated millennia ago for that different period and very different people are still valid today. Although we resemble in many ways our predecessors from before the Agricultural Revolution, we are in fact very different!

Addressing the current problems and threats confronting humanity today requires a fundamental paradigmatic change! It is not enough to merely change the course. We must change the paradigm, but which one? And how? Again, Physics, the simplest of all sciences, can help. We realized that the conception of time has changed, but we preserved the Newtonian laws in domains where they are still valid. The situation in the socio-economic-political domain is much more complex. First, it is a moving target, rapidly moving! So, our first conclusion should be that the new paradigmatic change we look for has to be dynamic, not static! Our second conclusion should be that whatever the new paradigm is, it has to be consistent with the existing paradigms in domains where they remain valid and useful, if there are any.

There is one area in which the old paradigm must clearly be abandoned. Although humanity has enjoyed several long intervals of peace, war and violence have been endemic throughout our history. The new paradigm must absolutely call for elimination of violence. No war, no violence – under any circumstances! There is no domain where violence is acceptable! No war, no weapons of any kind, much less weapons of mass destruction or their 21st century successors. Let the incomplete steps initiated by Reagan and Gorbachev in Reykjavik become a reality. Abolish nuclear weapons now! Instead of MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction – let us focus on mutual economic development.

The new paradigm may still retain the principle of competition, for competition helps to release human energy, innovation and creativity; but competition is augmented and complemented by cooperation (as biologists from J. Maynard Smith and W. Hamilton argued almost half a century ago). Private property is another feature of the existing paradigm which we cannot dispense with, but private only within limits. Private ownership of the oceans, water, air, would be disastrous. As Mahatma Gandhi said, the world has enough to satisfy everyone's need, but not for everybody's greed. It is essential that we recognize the value of need as supreme. Greed is a threat to those afflicted by it, but also to those advocating it. At a time when income inequalities have increased from the ratio of 5:1 approved by Plato and 20:1 endorsed as the maximum by J.P. Morgan to thousands and thousands to one, it is time to remember that humans are social animals, that the Golden Rule is imbedded in our biology, that we need each other and that human capital is our most precious capital. Human capital is the basic foundation stone of the new paradigm. It is the source of all our creativity and innovation and, as Aristotle claimed, it is the main source of our happiness too!

The world faces many problems, but they are all interconnected and interdependent. They will not lend themselves to fragmentary, piecemeal solutions. We need to evolve a comprehensive, holistic approach, but one that is at the same time individualized so as to be applied to different conditions. We cannot rely on the model of physical science for our answers, but we can and should apply the same intense creativity and imagination that have enabled physical science to answer the famous Thales' question "How and from what is the world made?" That creativity is our greatest resource for meeting difficult challenges and availing of the expanding opportunities that lie ahead.

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search for New Paradigm, Geneva, June 2013

Conference Papers & Presentations

Opening Session: Global Challenges & Opportunities

Issue: Is there a way in which humanity can realize the apparently conflicting goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice?

Speakers:

Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva: welcome remarks and Keynote address.Theme: Adapting to the new global order: The role of the United Nations and partnerships

Dr. Ivo Šlaus President, World Academy of Art and Science: Opening addressTheme: Goals and issues that need to be addressed by a new paradigm for global development

Session 2A: Economy & Employment

Issues: How can global food security, full employment and abolition of poverty be achieved within a decade? How can the necessary financial resources be generated and mobilized to achieve the goals of global development?

Issue: How can humanity fully tap the potential of a human-capital and social-capital based strategy for global development ?

Moderator:Dr. Colum Murphy, President, Geneva School of DiplomacyRapporteur:Dr. Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, former Rector UNU, Secretary General, The International Association of University Presidents, Brazil

Theme: International cooperation in science as a model for other global activitiesDr. Herwig Schopper, former Director-General of CERN: Presentation

Session 3B: Governance & International Security

Issues: How can we evolve a global cooperative security system that permanently eliminates war and the threats posed by WMD ? How can we design and implement system of global governance capable of implementing necessary measures to achieve the other five goals for the welfare and well-being of all ?

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search for New Paradigm, Geneva, June 2013

Conference Closing Remarks

Keynote address by Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev United Nations Under-Secretary-General Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva

Mr. Ivo Šlaus, President of the World Academy of Art and Science Mr. Jacobs, Chairman of the World Academy of Art and Science Distinguished Speakers, Moderators and Rapporteurs Ladies and Gentlemen:

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for taking part today and sharing your views. I know that we may not have had as much time as we would have liked for discussion, but I hope that you have all taken full advantage of the coffee breaks and other opportunities to talk and to network. It is my hope that new connections have been made here that can lead to further collaboration.

I will not attempt to sum up our discussions. Our distinguished moderators have already done that very well. Concluding our discussions today, I wanted to simply highlight a couple of key messages:

One of the recurring themes today has been the importance of translating theory into practice. In many areas, we actually know what the problems are, and we know what to do. The challenge is in implementation, through a systemic approach that allows all interests to be accommodated.

New concepts have been put forward. I am sure that ideas such as the “governance cloud” and “the G-0 world”, as well as the correlation between democracy and stability in the world, will continue to generate discussion.

We had an interesting discussion on what global leadership is, and how it is being practiced. Many speakers identified the current constraints of short-term electoral cycles and the imperative of immediate results as part of the failure to develop adequate long-term strategies.

Another theme that has come up in many is the relationship between politics, science and education. Many speakers highlighted that priorities in these areas have to be based on democracy and human rights.

Another overall conclusion is that the future is a resource-constrained world. The competition for water, land and energy will be fierce, and hence will be creating an inherently unstable world, with more conflicts and inequalities.

Until now, price and value have been given to traditional sectors of the economy. If we want to beat further environmental degradation and destruction, we need to give proper value to sustainable goods. We need to maximize resource productivity. We need a resource-efficient strategy that goes beyond conventional economic policy frameworks.

Employment was another key point. All agreed that the issue of employment is too important to leave to the markets. What we need to figure out, as the international community, is what kind of growth path will create good, decent jobs in the future

So, how do we move forward from here?

I take four key conclusions with me from today’s debate: First, we need a vision for sustainable energy in an interconnected world. Second, we need a new logic for economic development that gives priority to science and education. Third, we need economic, financial and political reform that deals with the current short political cycles to enable long-term strategy. And finally, we need a change of the value and pricing system to reflect the current sustainability challenges.

As Ambassador Fasel said at the opening this morning, this meeting has increased the quality of the debate at all levels, further enabling us to have an informed dialogue on our interconnected challenges.

I thank again the World Academy of Art and Science, as well as the diplomatic community, the international organizations in Geneva and the Swiss Government, for the excellent collaboration that culminated in today’s conference. I wish to take this forward and I hope that all of you will be ready to continue our in-depth reflections on how to build the world that we all want.

Thank you very much for your active involvement.

Closing Remarks by Mr. Garry Jacobs Chairman & CEO, WAAS

A Creative Moment

We have much to be grateful for. In spite of appearances, the world is a far more peaceful place than any time in the last half century. In the past 65 years since the founding of the UNO, the world avoided a third recurrence of world war. Battlefield deaths are at an all-time low. The number of democracies has risen fivefold. The long looming threat of nuclear war has receded since the end of the Cold War, though it is yet to be vanquished. Our more peaceful world is also a more prosperous one. Over the past 200 years world per capita income has risen twelvefold in spite of a sevenfold rise in population – a remarkable achievement in the history of humanity. Yet in spite of these achievements, we are still a world beset with pressing problems and threatening crises – political, financial, economic, social and ecological.

What is it that opposes our progress? There are no nations seeking global conquest and empire today. There is no Cold War between opposing military blocs. Our greatest obstacle seems to be the persistent dead weight of old ideas and outmoded ways of thinking that resist change and refuse to disappear. In spite of our remarkable progress, we seem to have run out of creative ideas to effectively cope with the challenges we confront. We are unable to see our way clearly into a better future, because we are blinded by our vision and memories of the past. We cannot see beyond the status quo. Many say what we lack most today is great leadership. They yearn for another FDR, Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi or Gorbachev to lead us from the morass. But what if the very idea that we depend on great individuals for our collective progress is an outdated idea whose time has passed?

Throughout history we have seen the creative power of ideas. Ideas can lead even in the absence of great leaders. An influx of creative ideas from Classical Greece spurred the cultural and social revolution of the Renaissance. An influx of new thinking about democracy, socialism, universal education, evolution, relativity and uncertainty spurred the scientific, technological, political, economic, and social revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Today we live in a world where ideas can lead. Ideas have immense power to change the world. As Victor Hugo once wrote, “No one can resist an idea whose time has come”. A new paradigm based on ideas, principles and values appropriate to the 21st century can rapidly transform this world of pressing challenges into one of ever-expanding opportunities. We need new ideas to lead us in the 21st century. We need leadership in thought which will lead to effective action. This is the mission of the World Academy.

Of all ideas, values are the most powerful. It has been said that it takes centuries of human experience to make a little recorded history and centuries of history to create a little civilization and centuries of civilization to form a drop of culture. Culture represents the distilled essence of human wisdom acquired over many centuries and the quintessence of culture is universal values which tell us how to live together in peace and harmony, how best to survive, grow, develop and evolve as a species. It was the value of liberty that inspired the great revolutions of the past few centuries. It was the value of equality that ended slavery, empire, and colonialism and still fights on to defeat other forms of social injustice. It is the inherent, intrinsic value of the individual that has unleashed the remarkable creative energy and achievements of the post-War era. Yet for all our progress, we still have far to travel to fully realize these sacred values in our individual and collective lives.

A new paradigm must be founded on a reaffirmation and elevation of the values which underpin our civilization, government, institutions, laws, policies and activities. Today, we have heard more than forty thoughtful observers and actors on the international scene share with us their vision of the possibilities and opportunities that await us. They reinforce the view that the individual and global community – the human microcosm and macrocosm – are each infinite in its potential for development. Their messages were positive and full of hope, saturated with the reaffirmation of universal human values that can lead us into a better future.

Speaker after speaker affirmed the rights of our common global community as well as the fundamental rights of every individual human being to peace, freedom, right livelihood, economic security and social justice. They stressed the need for value-based economic theory that seeks to promote human welfare and equality rather than growth for growth’s sake. They called for a paradigm shift from competitive to cooperative security, from an inherently unstable system where each nation seeks to enhance its own security by measures that increase the insecurity of others to one in which all cooperate to enhance the security of all at far lower levels of military spending. They argued for expanding the very notion of security from a narrow military-political conception to encompass the economic, social, psychological and ecological dimensions of human security. They reminded us of our collective responsibility to future generations and urged us to act in the interests of all humanity. They reasoned that the social systems we live in have been fashioned by our own minds and hands, not any immutable laws of Nature, and that we have the power to change them if we have the will. They demanded that the rule of law be based on true principles of democracy and founded on the will of the people – of humanity as a whole – not on the power of money or the unlimited, unconditional sovereignty of nation-states. They projected new ideas, evolutionary creative ideas that can build a better future for us all.

The discussions today are only one step in a process initiated by the Academy earlier this year in Trieste. It will be carried forward later this week at the Library of Alexandria and subsequently in other meetings around the world. Yet already we can perceive the first sketchy outlines of a paradigm emerging, a paradigm still without a name, yet one founded on basic human rights, fueled by the dynamism of creative human energies, and aspiring to build a world whose principal aim and objective is the welfare and well-being of all human beings.

We are living in remarkable times and have been witness to some great creative moments in history. In 1933 the most capitalistic and individualistic of all nations proclaimed its responsibility to ensure the economic security and social welfare of all its citizens. In 1945 the founding of the United Nations marked the end of centuries of incessant warfare on this continent. Two years later Indian Independence signaled the beginning of the end of colonialism. The fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain in 1989 marked a new stage in global peace and development. It was followed in quick succession by the establishment and rapid expansion of the European Union, an unprecedented experiment in human unity, which has made war in Europe ‘unthinkable’; the founding of the WTO to promote free and fair trade; and the birth of the first truly global social institution – the Internet – the most powerful instrument of individual empowerment and social cohesion ever created, whose full creative potential is yet to be realized.

What the world needs now is not another great leader, but another great creative moment – a moment energized by fresh creative ideas, supported by dynamically progressive institutions, and inspired by universal values that express our collective aspiration for a better life and a better world.

OVERVIEW

The World Academy of Art and Science is composed of 730 individual Fellows from diverse cultures, nationalities, and intellectual disciplines, chosen for eminence in art, the natural and social sciences, and the humanities. Established in 1960 by distinguished individuals concerned by the impact of the explosive growth of knowledge, its activities seek to address global issues related to the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge. The Academy serves as a forum for reflective scientists, artists, and scholars to discuss the vital problems of humankind independent of political boundaries or limits, whether spiritual or physical -- a forum where these problems can be discussed objectively, scientifically, globally, and free from vested interests or regional attachments, to arrive at solutions that affirm universal human rights and serve the interests of all humanity. WAAS is founded on faith in the power of original and creative ideas -- Real Ideas with effective power -- to change the world. Its motto is "Leadership in thought that leads to action."

The spirit of the Academy can be expressed in the words of Albert Einstein: "The creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind." Its Fellows share the ambition (as the Founders said in their 1960 Manifesto) "to rediscover the language of mutual understanding," surmounting differences in tradition, language, and social structure which, unless fused by creative imagination and continuous effort, dissolve the latent human commonwealth in contention and conflict.

The aim of the Academy's founders was to function as "an informal WORLD UNIVERSITY at the highest scientific and ethical level, in which deep human understanding and the fullest sense of responsibility will meet."

MISSION

The World Academy of Art and Science is an association of committed individuals drawn from diverse cultures, nationalities, occupations and intellectual pursuits spanning the arts, humanities and sciences, conscious of the profound social consequences and policy implications of knowledge, and united by a common aspiration to address the urgent challenges and emerging opportunities confronting humanity today. Our mission is to promote cross-disciplinary dialogue generative of original ideas and integrated perspectives that comprehend the root causes and effective remedies for our common problems, while furthering those currents of thought and social movement that affirm the value of human dignity and equitable development. The Academy dedicates itself to the pursuit of creative, catalytic ideas that can provide to present and future generations enlightened leadership in thought that leads to effective action.

HISTORY

The idea of founding an international association for exploring major concerns of humanity in a nongovernmental context grew out of many conversations that took place among leading scientists and intellectuals in the years following World War II. Prominent among this group were people such as Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer who had played a part in the development of the atomic bomb and were deeply concerned about how it and other scientific advances might be used – or misused.

This informal project took a major step forward in 1956, when a meeting – The First International Conference on Science and Human Welfare – was held in Washington, D. C. The organizers were two American scientists: Richard Montgomery Field of Princeton, who had worked for many years as chairman of an international committee on the social values of science; and John A. Fleming, former President of the International Council of Scientific Unions. At the end of the conference, participants agreed to take steps toward the formation of a World Academy, and elected an International Preparatory Committee for that purpose. Its members were: (from France) Pierre Chouard, George Laclavére and G. Le Lionnaise; (from the United Kingdom) Ritchie Calder, H. Munro Fox and Joseph Needham; and (from the United States) Robert Oppenheimer.

The Academy was formally founded (and its first officers elected) in 1960. They were: as President, Lord John Boyd Orr of Scotland; as Vice Presidents, Hermann Joseph Muller of the United States and Hugo Ostvald of Sweden; and, as Secretary General, Hugo Boyko of Israel.

Advisors to the Board

PARTNERS

HOW TO DONATE TO THE ACADEMY

The World Academy is incorporated in the State of California and Fellows elected from 86 different countries. WAAS is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt private foundation under section 501(c)(3).

CADMUS JOURNAL

Cadmus is a journal for fresh thinking and new perspectives that integrate knowledge from all fields of science, art and humanities to address real-life issues, inform policy and decision-making, and enhance our collective response to the challenges and opportunities facing the world today.

ERUDITIO E-JOURNAL

Eruditio is the electronic journal of the World Academy of Art & Science. The vision of the Journal complements and enhances the World Academy's focus on global perspectives in the generation of knowledge from all fields of legitimate inquiry.

The Journal also mirrors the World Academy's specific focus and mandate which is to consider the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge in the broadest sense. It is a multidisciplinary forum focused on the social consequences and policy implications of all forms of knowledge on a global basis.

PAPERS BY CATEGORY

BOOKS

The Security & Sustainability Guide

A 250-page “Interim Draft” PDF of The S&S Guide, a project of the World Academy of Art & Science, will be available for limited distribution free of charge. It reflects the critical fact that sustainability and security are both essential and can only be achieved in concert. The Guide is incomplete, but the compilers believe that, even in its current state, many will find it useful for illuminating many of the most serious problems facing humanity under the broad, overlapping categories of “Security” (weapons proliferation, terrorism, cyber-attacks, economic and food insecurity, human rights, peacemaking, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure, etc.) and “Sustainability” (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, energy, agriculture, population growth, cities, oceans, forests, vulnerability to disasters, green economics and nance, etc.)

Democracy is under siege. Traditional bastions of liberal democracy are faltering. Young democracies are reverting to their authoritarian pasts. Populism, corporatization of the media, fake news, retreat from globalism, oligarchy, corruption and other perils are undermining fairness, effectiveness and truthfulness. Just when it appeared that the world was converging on a universal set of values and standards for governance at the national and international level, fundamental questions are being raised regarding the viability and sustainability of democratic institutions. Recent events raise fundamental questions regarding the institutions of governance and also about the underlying social, psychological, cultural and evolutionary processes that determine how these institutions function.

Is democracy in its current form really the most viable and effective system of governance? Are human beings sufficiently rational and selfless to govern themselves justly and effectively? Is the future of democracy at the national level compatible with the persistence of non-democratic institutions at the international level? By what process has the distribution of social power shifted from army, monarchy, aristocracy to democracy and how is that process likely to evolve further in future? To what extent are the institutional problems confronting democracy today reflections of underlying social, psychological and cultural factors and processes? What proven and potential safeguards and remedies are available to address the failures and insufficiencies of contemporary democracies? Is democracy the best possible system or merely a stage in the evolution of governance toward something more stable, an effective and equitable system?

Mind is humanity's highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is the master tool that we use to comprehend the present, remember the past, and anticipate and plan for the future. From the act of striking two flints together to create fire to combining strings of 1s and 0s to design the code for supercomputers, mind has enabled humanity to create remarkable technologies and organized global institutions. The mind is the unifying foundation on which humanity’s entire social evolution is based. To understand this vital instrument better, the World Academy of Art & Science and World University Consortium have launched a ground-breaking project to explore Mind, Thinking and Creativity. A greater understanding of the nature of mind, its ways of knowing, the limits to thinking and rationality, mind's untapped potential, the workings of creativity and genius are essential for addressing the challenges confronting humanity today.

In April 2016 WAAS and WUC, along with partnering organizations IACP, IUC, DHUC, and MSS organized a four-day roundtable on Mind, Thinking and Creativity 2016 at Dubrovnik, Croatia for to explore fundamental questions. The meeting was attended by experts from different fields of natural and social science, including medicine, neuroscience, engineering, psychology, sociology, economics, law, and philosophy. Video recordings, presentations and papers for the roundtable are available here. The enthusiastic interest generated by the Dubrovnik meeting spurred efforts of WAAS and the World University Consortium to commence work on a on-line course on this subject which is now underway. A report on last year's meeting including videos and presentations was included in the Academy's July 2016 newsletter.

Roundtable 2 -- November 2017 at Dubrovnik

The second roundtable on Mind, Thinking & Creativity is being conducted by the World University Consortium, the World Academy of Art & Science, the Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and the Inter-University Centre from November 6-8, 2017 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Human-Centered Economics will be conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Feb 1-Feb 3,2017 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The multidimensional challenges confronting humanity today are human-made and can be changed by a change in thought and action. Contemporary economic thought is built on a mind-frame that originated prior to the Industrial Revolution when scarcity of goods in a world of abundant resources was the primary concern, economic growth was considered synonymous with human welfare, and impact of humanity on the environment was completely ignored. Without challenging obvious flaws in existing theory, it will be not be possible to significantly alter current policies and practices.

The overall aim of the course is to (a) demonstrate why mainstream neo-classical economic theory is inappropriate for dealing with the global challenges of the c.21st, and (b) explore alternative approaches for achieving ecologically sustainable, human-centered development and welfare for all.

This course will present the findings of a five year research program of the World Academy of Art & Science and the on-going work of the New Economic Theory working group. It will harness the best available ideas and practices on human-centred, sustainable economy to create informative, authoritative and compelling educational and communication tools with the power to challenge and alter university level education in Economics, public policy, business decisions, media coverage and general public opinion regarding how the world economy should and can work for the betterment of all humanity.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Social Power, Empowerment & Social Evolution will be conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Oct 31-Nov 4, 2016 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Humanity lives in a time of unprecedented capacity for accomplishment in every field of social life. Never before have we possessed power of this magnitude for good or for evil. Never before has power been so widely distributed within society. Democracy, law, human rights, science, technology, education and many other forms of social organization have generated immense power. Society governs the possession and exercise of this power through formal structures and institutions, such as law and human rights, as well as through both legitimate and extra-legal informal mechanisms including status, wealth, popularity, political influence and corruption. The distribution of power in its various forms powerfully impacts on the functioning of the economy, political system, educational, scientific, religious and and other social institutions, and on the overall productivity, strength, integrity, harmony and welfare of society. This transdisciplinary course will explore the sources, expressions, determinants and consequences of the creation, distribution and exercise of social power in its various expressions in politics, economy, society and culture and its consequences for the evolution of society as a whole.

Mind is humanity’s highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is an instrument with remarkable capabilities and characteristic limitations. It is ironic that we invest so little time in education and scientific endeavor trying to understand the nature of mental knowledge and the character of the mental processes by which we arrive at it. The objective of this course is to arrive at an understanding of the inherent limits to rationality and mental ways of knowing, as well as the extraordinary creative and intuitive processes by which mind transcends those limitations and tends toward genius.

Thinking is the activity by which mind associates, organizes, coordinates and integrates information, thoughts and ideas. Creative thinking is the process by which mind extends the boundaries of existing thought and knowledge to connect, reconcile and unify previously unconnected or contradictory perspectives. This course will explore the characteristics of mental knowledge and thought processes, types of thinking, the character of rational thought, the mental and social construction of knowledge, deep thinking, creativity and genius. Rather than focus on abstract philosophical concepts, it will apply this knowledge to understand both the sources of humanity’s prolific mental creativity, the characteristic problems it confronts due to irresolvable conflicts and contradictions between mental perspectives, and their resolution in different fields of natural and social science, public policy, collective and individual behavior.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Future Education was conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from September 21-23, 2015 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Education is our best hope for a better future. Emergence of a new paradigm in education can radically abridge the time required for humanity to address critical issues related to economy, governance, ecology and life-style. Education is the best known instrument for ensuring universal human rights, promoting democracy, enhancing productivity and protecting the environment.There is urgent need to evolve a new paradigm in education appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. Closing the gap between social needs and educational capabilities is essential for addressing pressing challenges confronting humanity today. A review of education today makes evident that there is enormous scope for improving and developing the educational system. Whatever its current limitations in terms of inadequate coverage, quality and content, the means and potential exist for dramatically enhancing humanity’s individual and collective performance in virtually all spheres of our social existence by realistic, achievable improvements in education. We need a new paradigm in education capable of more fully and effectively developing the latent capacities of our youth.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Essence of Effective Leadership was conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from March 31 to April 3, 2015 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

This course explored the characteristics common to leaders in business, politics, civil society, science, arts, professions and education and examined methods by which these characteristics can be consciously developed by individuals. The presentations consist of theory, practical strategies, and a wide range of examples drawn from biography, history, management, and literature from movies illustrating the principles under discussion. Apart from the presentations, our faculty interacted with participants to bring home the theoretical significance and practical relevance of the material.

The Individual is the catalyst of all social progress, the source of creativity, innovation, new ideas and new initiatives. The individual is the genetic source of human diversity. The entrepreneur, inventor, social reformer, revolutionary leader, original thinker and creative artist are a few of individuality's expressions. Yet how little we understand about the characteristics of true individuality, the ways in which it expresses, the means for developing it, and the means for realizing real individuality in one’s own life.

History demonstrates that individuals have the power to change the world. This course explored the relationship between personality and accomplishment. It examined the role of Individuality and Values in personal achievement, growth of personality and social progress drawing on evidence from Management Science, History, Psychology and Literature. It explored the relationship between creative individuals and society searching for insights into the principles and process that govern successful human initiatives and their consequences in various fields of life.

The course was intended for both students and practitioners in all fields interested in advancing theoretical understanding and practical approaches to promote the development of entrepreneurship, individuality, creativity, original thinking and other forms of social innovation. It explored the role of the individual in development of society, elucidated the characteristics of true individuals, the source of their amazing power for accomplishment and the process by which they act as catalysts of social innovation. While the presentation was academic, the objective was to impart original insights and practical knowledge for personal growth and individuation.

Today humanity is confronted by a plethora of serious challenges – political, economic, legal, social, cultural, psychological and ecological. These challenges are complex, interrelated, and global in reach. They are a reflection of the inadequacy of current institutions and policies and at a deeper level the inadequacy of current knowledge. They defy comprehension and resolution based on the prevailing principles of social science. The specialized knowledge developed by separate disciplines is inadequate to deal with the increasingly complex interdependencies of the real world. Knowledge needs to evolve to keep pace with the evolution of society.

The evolution of a complex, highly integrated global society necessitates the development of a more comprehensive and integrated science of society. The division into various specialized fields has been a useful mental strategy for the development of the social sciences, leading to significant advances in all fields – knowledge which needs to be preserved and enhanced by future developments. Yet it is increasingly evident that a more comprehensive and integrated approach is now required. As society evolves, its different functions develop greater complexity. At the same time they become more closely and complexly interlinked and interdependent on one another. Economy today is highly dependent on the political system and laws governing the distribution and enforcement of power in society, legal concepts regarding ownership of property and human rights, public institutions responsible for the creation and management of money, rules for commerce between nations, public policies influencing income and wealth distribution, processes that determine collective decision-making, public investment in education and training, and social expectations regarding economy and the future, etc. A recent announcement by the White House of an ‘intention’ to examine measures to discourage shifting of US firms to tax havens overseas resulted in a 10% fall in market value for several large firms.

Strategic Planning Committee Program Framework

Being a world academy composed of members drawn from the arts, social and physical sciences, humanities, business, public administration and civil society poses fundamental questions. How can WAAS distinguish itself from other national and regional academies? Is there really a common meeting point between art and science? Is there a unique contribution that WAAS can make to the world’s knowledge?

At the New Delhi General Assembly, Fellows explored facets of a new program framework developed by the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) which seeks to answer these questions in the affirmative. Rather than distinguish itself by specializing on a particular set of disciplines, issues or geographic area, the framework is an attempt to formulate a comprehensive approach and integrated perspective of knowledge inclusive of all disciplinary perspectives and applicable to social problems and opporunities in all fields.

The core of the framework is a human-centered conception of what constitutes reliable knowing, a question posed to the SPC by Ruben Nelson. In his presentation to the GA, Garry Jacobs explained how this conception applies to WAAS’s projects on new economic theory, individuality and limits to rationality. Pushpa Bhargava pointed out that a human centered perspective naturally incorporates ecology, since the survival and full development of humanity depends on its capacity to evolve in harmony with the environment.

New Paradigm Program

Scope: The world confronts multiple crises, each of which resists current efforts at resolution and appears intractable. The environmental crisis of climate change occupied the center stage in the mid-2000s. Fears of nuclear weapons proliferation, which had subsided into complacency in the years following the end of the Cold War, suddenly surfaced with renewed intensity when Korea tested nuclear weapons and long range missiles and news surfaced of Iran’s secret nuclear weapons program in 2007.

Then the subprime mortgage crisis exploded in late 2008, spreading havoc through financial markets across the world. It was followed quickly by a sudden and substantial slowing of economic growth in OECD countries, rising levels of unemployment and most recently a crisis of excessive government debt.

In spite of the enormous attention being given to each of these issues by specialists nationally and internationally, progress on all fronts appears to be nearly at a standstill or at least far too slow to meet pressing human concerns. The times we live in are a Wild West of globalization and the unbridled, unregulated expansion of international activities threatens to destabilize and undermine the remarkable progress of the previous five decades.

This project is predicated on the assumption that each of these problems defies solution because they all represent problems that transcend the sovereign powers of the nation-state. None of them can be fully and satisfactorily addressed by nation-states acting individually. All are symptoms of the evolution of world society to a stage where concerted and coordinated global action is required to meet the collective needs of humanity for peace, security, financial stability, economic welfare and sustainable development. This project has been conceived to address the underlying and interrelated issues that all these challenges pose to global governance.

World University Consortium

The mission of World University Consortium is to evolve and promote development of accessible, affordable, quality higher education worldwide based on a human-centered approach that shifts the emphasis from specialized expertise to contextualized knowledge within a trans-disciplinary conceptual framework reflecting the complexity and integration of the real world, from teaching mastery of a field of knowledge to learning that enhances the capacity of students to think and discover knowledge for themselves, from theoretical mastery to acquisition of knowledge, skills and values relevant to each individual’s personal development and career – an educational system better suited to develop the full potentials of social personality and individuality for productive engagement, social welfare and psychological well-being. The objectives are:

Identify global best practices and develop effective global models and strategies to improve accessibility, affordability, quality, innovation and relevance in higher education appropriate to the needs of the 21st century.

Develop innovative, open learning systems and more effective models that extend the reach of quality higher education to people of all age groups globally.

Explore new models of online and hybrid delivery systems designed to facilitate learning through teacher-student and student-student interaction.

Enhance the learning process through research, development and application of advanced instruments for measurement and evaluation of educational processes.

NEW ECONOMIC THEORY

A multidisciplinary group from the World Academy of Art & Science and the Club of Rome are leading a quest for a new human-centered theory of economics that reflects recent changes resulting from the emergence of a service-based economy, globalization, rising social aspirations and changing values, and is integrated with political, social, ecological, technological, and cultural factors from which it is inseparable.

TRANS-DISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE ON MIND, THINKING AND CREATIVITY

Mind is humanity’s highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is an instrument with remarkable capabilities and characteristic limitations. It is ironic that we invest so little time in education and scientific endeavor trying to understand the nature of mental knowledge and the character of the mental processes by which we arrive at it.

The objective of this project is to arrive at an understanding of the inherent limits to rationality and mental ways of knowing, as well as the extraordinary creative and intuitive processes by which mind transcends those limitations and tends toward genius.

PROGRAM ON GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE

Access to employment is the most essential requirement for providing economic security to the world’s burgeoning population.

This interdisciplinary dialogue explores theoretical and practical aspects of the global employment challenge, including its demographic, economic, legal, political, psychological dimensions as well as linkages with the international financial crisis, social stability, and terrorism.

EVOLUTION OF INDIVIDUALITY

Individuality is the crown of human evolution and the catalyst for social progress, yet there are very different conceptions of what constitutes true individuality, the relationship between the individual and society, and whether humanity is inevitably evolving toward higher levels of individuality.

This project will explore the essential nature of individuality, the social and cultural factors that foster it, its role in social development, its myriad expressions in the original thinker, creative artist, political leader, entrepreneur, inventor and social innovator, and the means available to society to foster it.

GLOBAL RULE OF LAW

The evolution of international law and human rights represent crucial threads in the progressive development of global rule of law.

This project will explore the relationship between the social, political and legal dimensions of global rule of law in an effort to frame the boundaries of a wider approach to the evolution of global governance. Emphasis will be place to re-examining the concept of national sovereignty and the common rights of humanity in an increasingly globalized world.

NEW SCIENCES

In 2013 WAAS launched a project to explore important developments in recently emerging fields of science, with e-conferences on the Science of Networks and the Science of Complexity. The project involves an application of concepts and tools from the new sciences relevant to address the global challenges confronting humanity today and to the evolution of a transdisciplinary science of society.

PROGRAM ON ABOLITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The devastating consequences of nuclear war and the potential destructive applications of science and technology were paramount concerns among Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Robert Oppenheimer, Joseph Rotblat and others which led to the founding of the World Academy in 1960.

Nuclear disarmament is a sine qua non for effectively addressing other issues of global important – terrorism, financial stability, unemployment, poverty, climate change, democratization of the UN and other aspects of global governance. In recent years, the Academy has conducted numerous conferences, seminars and workshops and collaborating with other organizations in an effort to promote concrete steps toward immediate and total global nuclear disarmament.

The Security & Sustainability Guide

A 250-page “Interim Draft” PDF of The S&S Guide, a project of the World Academy of Art & Science, will be available for limited distribution free of charge. It reflects the critical fact that sustainability and security are both essential and can only be achieved in concert. The Guide is incomplete, but the compilers believe that, even in its current state, many will find it useful for illuminating many of the most serious problems facing humanity under the broad, overlapping categories of “Security” (weapons proliferation, terrorism, cyber-attacks, economic and food insecurity, human rights, peacemaking, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure, etc.) and “Sustainability” (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, energy, agriculture, population growth, cities, oceans, forests, vulnerability to disasters, green economics and nance, etc.)